Back to Work

During the first few weeks post-partum, I wanted to so much to go back to work. I was bored. Maddy was sleeping basically 24/7. I was just stuck at home. My family was in Manila. 

Then after my post-partum blues ended, I became so enamored with Maddy that I contemplated not going back to work. I downright dreaded not seeing Maddy the whole day. When I go out on errands, I only disappear for 3-4 hours at a time, and rush back home.

Last Friday was my first day back at the office (lucky that my maternity leave ended on a Thursday so I wouldn't have to suffer a whole week back at work missing Maddy so much). 

Going back to work isn't as simple as leaving the house at 8am (the good thing with Cebu City is that my office is just around a 15-minute drive from the house) and coming back home at 5:30pm.

We've decided to leave Maddy with my in-laws when I'm at work, since their house is closer to the office than ours. I can rush over or they can rush over if there's an emergency.

This means that Maddy leaves the house with us and gets dropped off at the in-laws'. And this involves a huge production/logistical nightmare. We have to transfer the milk from the storage cups to milk bottles. I make sure to pack around 6 3-oz milk for them to cover her needs for the day. We pack those bottles in a cooler. Then there's the diaper bag. There's also the stroller so she can go around the house without needing to be carried. There's also my work bag and huge pump bag,with my own cooler for bringing milk home. There's also another bag for the bottle warmer.

Simple? Still no.

I wake up at 6:30am to pump fresh milk for them to bring along the ride going to the in-laws, which doesn't need to be heated, in case she gets hungry before reaching her destination. I take a quick shower after pumping, so I can make sure to feed her before leaving the house. I've stopped eating breakfast at home. I've packed up my oatmeal and milo in tupperwares and stocked them at my office cubicle. I go to the office around 15min earlier than punch in time just so I can eat breakfast there :(

Pumping in the office isn't so hard, but I've yet to get a real schedule down. Right now it feels more like I go to the office just to pump milk instead of working. Since my boobs are so used to being milked every hour or so, when I was just at home with Maddy, they hurt every hour or so in the office. This means I have to pump every 1-1.5 hours. Which again is such a big production. Over my head goes the nursing cover or shawl. Take out the pump parts and motor from the bag. Plug it in. Answer work call. Screw in the milk storage container. Maneuver your boob out of your blouse without flashing passers-by from your cubicle. Pump. Type in work laptop and get some work in. Try to get the pump+container out from the blouse without spilling milk (never successful. I have milk on my hands, my blouse, my pants. I smell like milk the whole day). Screw on lid of container. Answer work call again. Keep pump parts and milk in cooler. Repeat in an hour. GAWD.

Then lunchtime I go over to the in laws to see Maddy and to nurse her so she doesn't have to go through a bottle.

For the past 3 days I've started working, I've basically nursed at around 7:30am before leaving the house, pumped at 9:30am, 11:30am, nursed at 12/noon, pumped at 1:30pm, 3:30pm and then 5pm before leaving the office.

Exhausting.

Will keep you all posted.